Under My Skin
by Blue-Winter-Angel
Summary: "The sun rose before either of them got any sleep." Korra/Iroh drabble.


**Hola :)**

**So, this is my first venture into the Korra fandom and safe to say I'm very nervous. One of my best friends - and fellow LoK writer - Ski October, has been nagging me to write something for this fandom for ages. I'm a total newbie to LoK. I haven't seen the show or anything, but I've been reading all of Anna's stuff so I've learned a thing or two. One of which is that I love Iroh like you wouldn't believe. And Tahno - he may be a jerk, but oh my god, that voice. This little idea popped into my head while I was trying to get to sleep one night and when I mentioned it to Anna the next day she pretty much freaked out and begged me to write it, and here we are.**

**Pretty good timing, too, considering it's Korroh week ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it.**

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Korra shifted about on the bed, struggling to get comfortable. It was almost two in the morning and no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't get to sleep. It may have been possible if she wasn't so damn _sore._

"For Spirit's sake," she whined, flopping onto her back to glare up at the ceiling. "An hour, that's all I ask. An hour and I'd be happy."

"Still can't sleep?"

Korra blinked in surprise and turned her head to stare at her sleeping companion. Warm golden eyes took in the shadows under her eyes and the slight outward jut of her lower lip. Despite how miserable and frustrated she looked, Iroh still found her adorable and had to work hard to hide his smile.

The Avatar's cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment. She hadn't meant to wake him. "No, I can't. I'm too sore."

Iroh raised a thick black brow. "Sore?" He eyed the way the moonlight played off her bare skin and subtly searched for any hint of bruising. She hadn't mentioned any pain a few hours ago, and he had been very gentle with her. "Did I hurt you?"

Korra's mind flashed back to the way he had held her while their bodies writhed together, fingers digging into skin and lips brushing with each heavy breath they took. No. He most definitely hadn't hurt her. "No, you didn't. I think I pulled a muscle or something earlier in the day. My shoulders are killing me."

Iroh frowned and reached out to touch her face. "Let me see."

She blinked. "Pardon?"

"Roll over and let me see."

"Um… okay." Confused and a little curious, Korra did as he asked and rolled onto her stomach. Iroh rose from his spot on the mattress and moved to straddle the young Avatar's legs, not even bothering with a warning before gently pulling the sheet down to the curve of her rear. He considered removing it completely, but since his intentions were not of the sexual nature at the moment, he decided against it. He was genuinely concerned for her. Korra was a nightmare to be around when she'd been subjected to a choppy sleep and while she usually spared him from her wrath, he felt for anyone who crossed her the following day.

"Where does it hurt the most?" he asked, pools of molten gold roving over the smooth expanse of her back.

Korra shifted a little on the mattress, trying to ignore the way her skin prickled under his gaze. "Right between my shoulder blades," she replied, grimacing a little as the muscles continued to ache.

Iroh frowned at her discomfort. If only she'd told him earlier. _Stubborn woman, _he thought to himself as he lowered his fingers to the middle of her back. "Relax," he told her when she jumped in surprise. "I'll make it better."

Korra needed no further encouragement and quickly let her body go limp on the bed. She gazed out the window and into the inky night sky, letting out a quiet breath as Iroh gently pressed his fingers into her skin before drawing them up her spine, toward her shoulders. "That feels nice," she sighed into the pillow.

Iroh chuckled and continued to work the muscles in her back, massaging away any knots he found. "You're very tense, Korra," he chided. "No wonder you can't relax. This is why you need to stretch before you decide to spar with people all day."

She grumbled somewhat incoherently, too blissed out and relaxed to be argumentative. "Mhmm… whatever…"

Iroh shook his head and finally moved his hands up to her shoulders, easily finding the sore, strained muscles. He pressed his warm fingers firmly against the tight spot and proceeded to rub small circles into her skin. Korra winced at first, but the more he did it the more the muscles relaxed and soon she was one big gooey mess of relaxation.

"Better?" Iroh asked, tilting his head to the side in an attempt to catch her eye.

Korra nodded weakly and let out a pleased moan as he slid his hands down her sides. "Much. Thank you."

"You're very welcome," he crooned and leaned down to press his lips to the small of her back. He let his breath wash over her skin as he dragged his nose up the length of her spine, fingers gently gripping her hips. "I should let you sleep now," he said. Oddly enough, massaging her back had turned out to be surprisingly erotic and try as he might, he couldn't fight his desire to have her.

Korra felt the familiar pressure against the inside of her thigh and smiled into the pillow, her stomach clenching at the pleading undertone in his voice. He wanted to let her sleep out of consideration and general gentlemanliness, but she was in no mood to sleep now; even though it was close to three in the morning. "I don't have anything important to do today," she teased, pushing up from the mattress until she was perched on her knees with her back pressed firmly against Iroh's chest. She could feel his heart racing against her skin. "I think I could go without sleep for a little while longer…"

Without another word Iroh grabbed her chin and turned her head to the side, catching her lips in a fierce kiss.

The sun rose before either of them got any sleep.

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**Ta da!**

**Not much, I know, but I wanted to keep it simple - with a bit of smut towards the end, of course. Hopefully I'll be able to watch the series sometime soon - they don't air it here in Australia, at least not yet - so I can write some more for this fandom. I loved the original series so it's no surprise that I got sucked into this one, too.**

**Oh! And if you haven't read any of Anna's stuff yet, I strongly suggest you do. She just recently finished a Korroh drabble series called _Soul of My Soul_. It's beautiful and so much fun to read. Then again, all of her stories are a joy to read.**

**Until next time, I'd love to hear your thoughts :)**

**xx**


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